Chapter 7 The Trap Beneath the Moon (Embers and Shadows)

The pieces of the broken window still scattered on the floor when I finally moved.

The windows blew cold wind that brushed my skin, carrying the smell of rain and iron. Outside, the moon stood still, as though it was even waiting for something to break.

Rae burst through the door with his blades drawn,l and his eyes scanning the corners. “Aria?”

“I’m fine,” I lied, though the ashes on the floor still glowed faintly where the letter had burned.

He looked at the ground, then at me and he said, “That wasn’t just a message, was it?”

“It was more,” I whispered. “It was a warning.”

Silence filled the space between us. The kind that hums before lightning strikes. Rae slowly lowered his weapon, but his shoulders didn’t ease.

“Then we prepare,” he said. “Because whatever’s coming… it already knows where to find you.”

By morning, we were back to Crescent pack, it was tense. The air itself felt heavy like the mountain was holding its breath. The guards whispered about Moonshade’s peace meeting, but no one trusted white banners anymore.

I stood before the training field with my hands open and flame swirling faintly in each palm. The light pulsed in rhythm with my heart, too bright, too alive.

“Again,” Rae commanded.

I nodded my head to say I heard, trying to stay focused. The fire rose up suddenly, initially obedient, then flared uncontrollably, licking the air with a roar that startled the nearby wolves. Then suddenly, the ground beneath me cracked.

Rae caught my wrist. “Breathe, don’t let it control you, be in control.”

I took a deep breath while closing my eyes. The world looked smaller and all dark until all I could feel was the mark on my chest – hot, burning, pulsing like it had its own heartbeat. The flames dimmed then settled into a steady glow.

When I opened my eyes, Rae’s gaze lingered on the faint golden light beneath my shirt. “It’s getting stronger,” he said quietly.

“I know.”

“Too strong.”

“I said I know.”

He didn’t push further, but his silence said more than words ever could.

That afternoon, Mira saw me near the vaults – the oldest part of Crescent’s mountain. As Mira walked, her robes were full with dust, and the blue sigil around her wrist faintly glowed.

“Aria, you shouldn’t be here alone,” she said softly.

“Then stay.” I responded.

Mira hesitated for a second, then followed as I stepped deeper into the stone hall. The walls hummed faintly with enchantments older than the packs themselves. Shelves of relics lined up in the room, weapons, runes, fragments of things left behind from wars most wolves had forgotten.

But I wasn’t looking for weapons, I was looking for answers.

I stopped before a display case covered in layers of protective spell-script. Inside lay something small, a broken piece of metal, twisted and molten. It looked harmless. But my fire reacted the moment I drew closer, flickering wildly, like it recognized something buried deep.

“What is that?” I asked.

Mira’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The Crown Fragment. One of the last relics of the Ember Queen. We keep it sealed because it carries her memory.”

I took a slow step forward. “Her memory, you mean?”

“She was bound to the flame she wielded. Some say her spirit still lingers in what it touched.”

My breath caught. “Then she can still… speak?”

Mira shook her head. “If she does, it’s not speech but memory echoes.  And those who hear it rarely come back the same.”

But I was already reaching for it.

“Aria, wait!”

My fingers brushed the glass. A spark leapt from the surface bright, gold, alive and for one moment, I was no longer standing in the vault.

The world burned around me.

Flames stretched to the heavens, consuming mountains and moonlight alike. Wolves screamed below as shadows fought fire. And at the center stood a woman, tall, crowned in flame with a molten sorrowful eyes.

It was The Ember Queen. Her face was my face.

“Finish what I could not,” she said, her voice sounding like a storm. “The fire is not your curse but your throne.”

Then everything shattered from the light, sound, memory and I fell backward into someone's arms. It seemed to be Rae.

When I woke up, I was laying in the infirmary. Mira hovered at my side, muttering protective charms under her breath. Rae stood by the door, his jaw tight.

“You touched the relic,” he said flatly.

“Yes.”

“And what did you see?”

I hesitated. “A world that burned… and her.”

Rae exchanged a look with Mira, who sighed softly. “It’s starting sooner than we thought.”

“What is?” I asked.

“The merging,” she replied. “The Queen’s spirit is trying to reach through you. The longer you resist, the stronger her pull becomes.”

I sat up slowly with my heart racing. “So what happens when she succeeds?”

Mira’s eyes darkened. “Then there will be no difference between you and her.”

The words sank like stones.

I stared at my hands as flames flickered faintly between my fingers. “Maybe that’s what they want,” I murmured.

Rae’s voice sharpened. “Don’t say that.”

“She said to finish what she could not.”

“She’s not you, Aria.”

I met his eyes. “What if I’m not me either?”

This kept me worried.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. The wind outside howled against the mountain walls, sounding too much like voices. I sat by the window watching moonlight spill across the courtyard.

A shadow passed below. Not a guard. Not Rae.

I stood slowly, reaching for my cloak.

The moment I stepped outside, the atmosphere changed. It was cold and heavy. Then I saw it – a small mark glowing faintly on the stones near the gate. A symbol carved in ash.

The same rune the Hollow Flame used.

My pulse spiked.

Someone had been here.

I crouched and brushed my fingers over it, and immediately a burst of heat shot through my arm. Words whispered in my head , not the Queen’s voice this time, but something darker, slicker, and cruel.

“Your fire cannot save you. It was never yours from the onset.”

I gasped and stumbled back. The mark faded as though it had been waiting for me to find it.

The wind rose, scattering ash into the air. I turned toward the mountains beyond Crescent and saw faint, flickering lights and  torches moving in the darkness.

An army? Or something worse? I was wondering.

Before I could call out for Rae, the mountain made a loud sound, It was deep as if something old beneath it had just awakened.

My feet trembled as I felt the vibration of the sound.

And somewhere in the dark, a voice laughed soft, feminine but ancient.

“Welcome back, little flame.”